[mingleberry]

Hi.
I've been searching the forums for help on this but can't seem to find any posts to help me with this although i'm sure i've seen something in the past.
Basically i'm about to mount my new panasonic th42 ph10 above my non-working fireplace. I'm wondering what the risks are of cutting a hole in the plaster back to the brick in order to recess the plasma mount. I want to do this so that the panel doesn't stick out so much but was concerned about ventilation though the panel only seems to get hot at the top.
Can anyone give me any tips as to how to do this or point me at another thread? I'm sure someone else has documented their experience on this forum but can't for the life of me find it.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

[robtuplin1]

Best thing to do would be to build a stud frame to house the TV in, unless the plaster is really thick then it wouldn't give you the required depth to sink it in fully anyway.

[mingleberry]

Sadly the wife isn't up for the stud wall idea. . I don't want to recess the whole tv... Just the mount so that the tv is 20mm closer to the wall rather than having a gap. Am i totally doolally?

[suniil]

also plasma definitely need some breathing space! is it a breeze block?

please have a look at other floating wall threads, it would be much easier and neater than you think and gives you better flexibility in cabling and lighting.

[av_101]

to be honest sounds like quite a bit of work for 20mm closer, you sure you cant leave with it the way it is..?

I was the same when I mounted mine, wanted to get it as close as possible, got use to it now though..

[neilball]

Originally Posted by mingleberry

Hi.
I've been searching the forums for help on this but can't seem to find any posts to help me with this although i'm sure i've seen something in the past.
Basically i'm about to mount my new panasonic th42 ph10 above my non-working fireplace. I'm wondering what the risks are of cutting a hole in the plaster back to the brick in order to recess the plasma mount. I want to do this so that the panel doesn't stick out so much but was concerned about ventilation though the panel only seems to get hot at the top.
Can anyone give me any tips as to how to do this or point me at another thread? I'm sure someone else has documented their experience on this forum but can't for the life of me find it.
Thanks in advance for any advice.

I don't see any problems providing you can get the cables to fit. The thread you are probably looking for is " Groove's new lounge with floating wall build ", see page 2 about half way down.

[Sofa-loafer]

G'day mingleberry, I think you've worried yourself unnecessarily...

My understanding of your post is that you are concerned that your plasma will overheat due to it proximity to the wall i.e. the plaster will cause less air flow to the vents situated on the rear panel.

I wouldn't concern yourself.

Firstly, the wall bracket you have will allow a suitable amount of air to pass behind the panel to prevent overheating.

Secondly, heat rises and doesn't remain in the same place, therefore all you need to to do is increase airflow and prevent areas where heat can become trapped.

1. I'd cut out the plaster on the wall as big as possible but small enough so that it can't be seen.

2. I'd then chamfer the top and bottom edges of the plaster to about 30 degrees to allow the air to flow smoothly up and out.

Remember, the heat produced by your screen will draw a resonable percentage of cold air upwards, a bit like a chimney flue draws air up and out of the fireplace.

If you still think there is a problem... buy some 120mm PC fans and put them behind the panel to increase air flow.


All IMHO...

Click my link below, I'm doing something similar!

[MarkP80]

Mingleberry,

What mount were you planning on using? Some stand out further than others, and you may be able to achieve what you want by simply selecting a more slimline mount.

Cheers,
MarkP

[mingleberry]

Thanks everyone for your help.

The fireplace isn't in use so the only concern is heat from the back of the Panasonic TH42PH10 panel - as I said in my original post it only seems to get
hot around the vents at the top which wouldn't be obstructed in any way. Then again I am only running it in so it's probably not working that hard currently.

The mount I've bought is one from av-sales - their slimline flat wall mount. Not sure if they still do it. Its depth is only 19mm.

Think I'm going to try this - if only to see the look on the wife's face when I chisel out a dirty great hole from our just re-plastered chimney breast

[mingleberry]

Oh and sofa loafer - cheers for expanding my vocab. Can't wait to say "chamfer" to someone.

[Sofa-loafer]

No worries... Get stuck in but don't do a rush job. Take your time...

Just a thought, you may want to buy an angle grinder if you haven't already got one... Click here

Cutting along marker pen lines will give a give crisp edge to work with. Don't press hard and it should cut through plaster like it was butter.

If you use a hammer and chisel, you may find yourself with stress cracks all over the place...

[MarkP80]

I've never thought to use my angle grinder for that. I've always used my small hand plasterboard saw for that. Doh!

Cheers,
MarkP

[Sofa-loafer]

Mark, I guess the hand saw would be a good way to go too... I'm to power-tool hungry to think of that. Using a saw takes more effort, which is always a bad thing... but I'm sure it produces a lot less dust!

[mingleberry]

Thanks for everyone's help on this - I did the deed last weekend.

The angle grinder was as efficient and messy as everyone predicted.

Sadly though, I wished I'd hit it with a humble chisel first as I would have realised quickly that the plaster was only 7mm deep!

Given the amount of mess, I don't think a 7mm deep recess was really worth it.

Obvious lesson: if you fancy this idea, make the sure the plaster's deep enough to justify the mess. I did drill an exploratory hole to find this out but thought it looked at least an inch deep. What I'd mistaken for plaster was actually brick .